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Messengers

Noted Naramata artist Dennis Evans unveiled his latest work at an exhibition entitled Messengers last evening. Hauntingly beautiful, Evans has captured the unique resonance of Naramata in these 14 major works.

“When the iconic jazz saxophonist and composer, John Coltrane, visited Nagasaki, his guide found him on the train playing a flute,” Evans says. “The man asked Coltrane, ‘why are you playing the flute?’ He answered, ‘I’m trying to find the sound of Nagasaki.”

Evans has found the sound of Naramata and its sacred resonance in this body of work. Anchored by his Celtic ancestry, the artist has imbedded Celtic images into his landscape paintings.

“It’s my way of communicating a special resonance with the land and communicating this connection to the viewer,” he says. “It’s an invitation to the viewer to meditate on the universal bond between nature and humanity and what we define as our sense of place.”

The Celtic symbol appears in sharp focus in some works or it subtly emerges or recedes into the landscape in others. The symbols connect with the sky, the earth and everything in between. Evans says the image is intended to highlight the non-physical aspect of the landscape or the landscape whispering to the painter.

Dennis Evans introducing his show at Leir House in Penticton with my favourite painting in the exhibition, Sacred Grove, in the background.

Messengers is Evans’ second instalment in his quest to capture, visually, the unique resonance of a particular place. It follows on from Songs in the Landscape which also exhibited at Leir House in the fall of 2016.

SOLSTICE: SPIRIT OF WINTER, Acrylic on Canvas, 36: x 48″ x 3″The exhibition also contained a small sampling of new works, including this stunning painting of clouds over Giant’s Head.

A life-long artist, Dennis has the good fortune or as he would interpret it, fate, to end up in a place that speaks to him. Having moved from Calgary to Naramata a decade ago, he says,” I am much more connected to the landscape here. Pretty much all my landscapes are within walking distance of the studio. I have enough inspiration in Naramata to last a lifetime.”

What’s special about Naramata? “We didn’t really know how amazing it really is until we landed here,” says Dennis. “It has an aura about it. I don’t know if it is because it’s isolated being at the end of the road as it is. It was also special to the First Nations people. They didn’t live here but came to the area for their ceremonies. It’s also home to a proportionally large number of artists, which must be for a reason, and home to an incredible concentration of unique individuals.”

Music throughout the opening evening was played by Don and Debbie who took us on a journey through their interpretations of Evans’ work, including EQUINOX: SPIRIT OF SPRING, which is hung behind the musicians.Lucky guests of the opening left with a catalogue and a mug potted by Evans. The mug was filled with Meadow Vista (Kelowna) Cloud Horse mead, made by fermenting BC honey. Born in Viking, Alberta, Dennis began his art career at the Alberta College of Art (now the Alberta College of Art and Design) in the 1960s and graduated with a major in pottery and ceramics, a first love which he still practices.Evans and ROCK SPIRIT, Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 48″ x 3″Detail of Evan’s signatureOne of the smaller works which caught my eye.RESONANCE: Self portrait, Acrylic on canvas, 36″ x 48″ x 3″

Messengers will be exhibited at Leir House in Penticton until February 16th and most of the works are for sale.

Evans’ wife Patricia Evans read some of her poetry at the opening including this piece which perfectly suited the ambiance created by the art, music, hospitality and the warmth of the historic Leir House: